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Is selling PCs without an OS installed a bad idea for retailers? Microsoft thinks so. In an article in Microsoft's Partner Update magazine, (link found in this ZDNet article), Microsoft's anti-piracy head Michala Alexander advises retailers to avoid selling "naked" PCs, saying that doing so puts the vendors at risk.

According to Microsoft's figures, about 5 percent of the 10 million PCs sold in the UK will go out the door without an operating system installed. There are obviously a number of reasons why customers would want a PC sans OS. Customers might be planning on running Linux or FreeBSD instead of Windows. Others may have unused Windows licenses laying about. Although Alexander doesn't come right out and say it, lurking in the background is the issue of piracy.

Microsoft is quick to point out that each sale of a naked PC is a missed opportunity for resellers to bundle additional software and support, resulting in lost revenues. Of course, it's also a missed Windows sale from Microsoft's perspective, especially if the buyer turns around and installs a counterfeit version of Windows on it. It's also important to keep in mind that Microsoft is preaching to the choir, as Partner Update is aimed at businesses already making money off of the company's products.

Microsoft will be backing up their admonitions against selling naked PCs with "feet on the street" personnel who will visit retailers and provide them with sales and other assistance. Chances are, they will also be looking to make sure everything is in order in terms of Windows licenses.

Systems with Windows preinstalled can be a source of frustration for shoppers. Even if you're only after the hardware and your plans for a shiny new PC don't involve Windows at all, you're still stuck paying for an operating system you don't want. The Free Software Foundation is not impressed with Microsoft's new initiative, saying that Microsoft is out to spy on retailers and consumers.

"It looks like a private sniffing service which is supposed to spy on these who do not want to pay the Microsoft tax anymore. It is an incredible piece of impudence which any politician, customer and journalist should recognise carefully," said [FSF Europe spokesperson Joachim] Jakobs.

Microsoft denies that is the case, saying that the company is simply trying to assist its customers while admitting that the software giant would be keeping an eye on naked systems sales and piracy rates.

In a perfect world, consumers would be free to buy whatever hardware, software, and operating system configuration they wanted. That's the FSF's vision, according to Jakobs. "We would be happy to see any kind of hardware being shipped without an operating system, or pre-installed with free software."

Will PC vendors resist Microsoft on this issue and continue selling PCs without an OS? It's too early to tell. But if you really want a new system with your choice of OS, there are always alternatives.